A survey on gaming behavior in the USA has delivered an interesting insight. Apparently, most players from the Millennial and Generation Z generations are fans of mobile games on smartphones. How exactly the numbers play out, what might be the reasons, and what this means for gaming, you can find out here on MeinMMO!
What is this study about? The analysis company Tapjoy (via Tapjoy), which deals with mobile games, has released a survey report. This report primarily focused on the gaming habits of the current parent generation in the USA, specifically Millennials born between 1981 and 1996. A total of 5,498 people were surveyed.
What are the results? In summary, the survey arrived at the following results regarding the primary gaming platforms of Millennials:
- 90 percent of respondents play on smartphones
- 31 percent also use consoles and handhelds
- 23 percent game on PC
The numbers arise from the fact that various players indeed use multiple platforms and were not asked about a single platform.
According to the study, their gaming behavior is quite close to that of the next generation, the youth of Generation Z.
According to the study, 64 percent of eligible players play “very often” on their mobile phones. For Generation Z, this figure is 62 percent.
What contributes to the widespread popularity of mobile games?
What are the reasons? According to Tapjoy, the popularity of mobile games among these two generations stems from the fact that both Millennials and Generation Z members are very tech-savvy, and smartphones are widely available and used excessively.
They have a unique perspective: they remember life before the internet, but they also can’t imagine life without it. And they are just as tech-savvy and dependent on their mobile devices as Generation Z, especially when it comes to gaming and shopping.
Lauren Baca, Senior Director of Marketing at Tapjoy
What games are being played? According to Tapjoy, especially popular are Free2Play games they have seen either in funny advertisements or from friends. The most popular genres are:
- Action and adventure games
- Puzzles and Match 3
- Role-playing games
- Word puzzles
- Battle Royale
Particularly the latter genre is very popular with games like CoD Mobile, Fortnite, and PUBG Mobile.
How does the COVID-19 pandemic factor in? According to Tapjoy, the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have further intensified mobile gaming behavior. 73% of respondents stated that they played more mobile games due to the pandemic. 59% downloaded new game apps at the time of the survey, and 60% claimed that they would continue their new gaming habits even after a potential end of the pandemic.
This Millennial parent generation also includes MeinMMO author Jürgen Horn, who has a fondness for mobile games like Moonlight Sculptor or the new Marvel Future Revolution. Because for a quick round on the phone, you don’t have to go to the room with the computer, and you can play a little anytime and anywhere when there’s time.
What could all this mean for the future? The high popularity of mobile games suggests that playing on smartphones will continue to take up an increasingly larger share of gaming in the foreseeable future. Mobile games are no longer just casual puzzle games but increasingly complex graphics sensations that are hardly distinguishable from games on consoles or PCs.
Additionally, better gaming-compatible smartphones keep emerging, such as the new foldable phones, which offer greater gaming comfort with particularly large screens. There are also useful gadgets, like specific controllers that can turn a regular smartphone into a kind of Switch.
Moreover, more and more major studios are pushing into the mobile segment with their AAA titles. This includes the upcoming Diablo Immortal or the planned mobile version of the Battle Royale hit Apex Legends. And we might even see a high-quality mobile version of WoW one day.
So much for the study by Tapjoy on mobile gaming among Millennials and Generation Z. Are you also big mobile fans, or do you fall out of the norm because mobile games don’t appeal to you at all? Let us know in the comments.
For those still looking for the ideal mobile game: The 9 best mobile MMORPGs for iOS and Android 2021.
